Review by chrisc7249 on April 13, 2022.

The Beast Of Nod has always been a difficult band for me to tackle, review wise. While I've always enjoyed their music, I've just always had a hard time articulating their sound. It sounds so otherworldly and futuristic in a sense that it really sounds like something I would be hearing in the year 2035. I'm not trying to make the comment that it's "way ahead of its time" and some sort of lost gem for the ages, it just… sounds futuristic. Partially due to the guitar effects and programming that are being used throughout the album to give it some sort of Ratchet & Clank feel.

Yes, the best way to describe this album in my opinion, is video game tech death. The album cover does a great job representing that feeling quite well, as does the lyrical theme and background of this "Land of Nod." It's all a huge sci-fi universe that, while playful and light hearted in lyrical terms, makes for some seriously killer technical death metal. It's extremely melodic, similar to Allegaeon, Inferi and perhaps even a little Beyond Creation, but it goes beyond that. It's groovy as fuck, progressive and, perhaps more important than anything, it's fun as fuck! There really is no other technical death metal that captures the same atmosphere and feeling that The Beast Of Nod does with this album.

There's a load of good tracks on here, all with various riffs and leads that are all interesting and will keep you coming back for more. The guitars steal the stage here on this album, but the drumming is really competent as well. The bass is a little lackluster, though adequately played, it really doesn't do much to shine throughout the entire record, and that's a shame because I'm a big bass guy. The vocals are sick! The highs are insane, the vocalist sounds like he's an interstellar demon with severe anger issues. I love a vocalist that sounds like this guy. The album is consistent throughout, perhaps a little too much so as the first half is superior to the second half which has some forgettable songs, though they're still good when they're on.

Vampira: Disciple Of Chaos is a really unique technical death metal album, made for people who wish the genre would do something a little different and more fun to stick out from the coldly calculated robotics the genre is usually known for. It's bouncy, hyper, and an absolute ride to listen to. It's fun stuff, man. Glad I gave this one a chance and I hope at least someone reads this and is interested enough to listen to it - and enjoys it!

FFO: Allegaeon, Inferi, Beyond Creation

Favorite song: 'Potroast The Rhinoman'

Rating: 7/10